Know Your Yoga Chants

I think yoga chants are beautiful to listen to.

Especially when the person chanting has a beautiful voice. It is soothing, calming and captivating.

When you chant at the beginning of a yoga practice, you are setting the intention of your practice. I always feel calm and at peace when I do a chant at the beginning of my practice.

In the studio where I practice (very commercialized), most teachers do not do any chants. Probably due to the fact that some students there are not comfortable with the chants. They are of other religious groups that may deem yoga and the chanting inappropriate for their followers.

True or not, I am not sure. But I am of the mindset that as long as the intention is good for the common good and for peace, whether the language used is English, Chinese, Malay or Sanskrit, it does not matter to me. It’s like watching a program on TV with a different language translated, as in the case of a fan of Korean serials like my friend. To her, watching a Korean serial in the original soundtrack with no voice over is way way way better. She rather read the transcript off the tv. So in the similar sense, chanting in the original Sanskrit language captures the “feel” more than if you were to chant in other languages. But do know what you are chanting as it brings more meaning to you when you chant them.

Here’s an article by Yoga Journal that gives a run down on the chanting basics :
www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/841

Actually I am a terrible singer and I used to hate chanting. I have no way of sounding like an angel. Then I started to do my Anusara Chant on my own everyday as I go for my yoga classes. Plus it is a way for me to remember the chant as I have poor memory.

Listening to beautiful chants by wonderful voices of Krishna Das, Jai Uttalare uplifting and moving. They bring the chants to another level. Their voices are rich, powerful and emotionally charged such that you can feel them as you listen to them.

So, every time I don’t feel so good or just upset, I listen to them to clear my mind, find peace within and lift my spirits. It works every time!

~Namaste!

Tags: Chant, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Sanskrit, yoga